There were several factors that played into Jimmy Butler's decision to join the Miami Heat this offseason. Having the opportunity to play in a competitive environment was important, but the influence of Dwayne Wade may have also played a role.
In a recent interview with Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, Butler noted Wade's influence:
“He has always said how nice Miami was,” Butler said of the recently retired Dwyane Wade’s influence, with the two becoming close friends during their time as Bulls teammates in 2016-17. “Obviously, the weather and all that great stuff. But I’m talking about the organization and the people that’s in it and how they go about everything. I’ve been fortunate enough to be around him for a couple years now since my days in Chicago and it always seemed to come up one way or another of how great the people were, the culture that was there and obviously him winning championships and what that took.
“He would always say, ‘It would be a place for you. The type of guy you are, the mentality you have, the Heat culture, it just fits.’ We laugh about it now, but looking back it’s like: Damn, he kind of called how it could happen and how this would be a place that just fits me to a T.”
Butler, now 29 years of age, comes to the Heat by way of a sign-and-trade with the Sixers. Four teams were included in the deal (Heat, Sixers, Clippers and Trail Blazers).
The former Marquette Golden Eagle should be a fine addition to Miami's roster. He split the 2018-19 campaign with the Sixers and Minnesota Timberwolves. For the season, he turned in averages of 19.8 points on 46.6 percent shooting from the field (35.8 percent from beyond the arc), 5.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.1 steals in 34.7 minutes per outing.
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